


Of Pride and Promotions

by Havanar



Series: After The Fall [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Established Relationship, Fix-It, Hospitalization, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, If You Squint - Freeform, M/M, Post Season 7, Shiro is so proud, because voltron ended at season 7, keith gets promoted, season 7, season 7 missing scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 10:13:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17041823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Havanar/pseuds/Havanar
Summary: The day Keith is promoted is the happiest of Shiro’s life.Season 7 Missing Scene





	Of Pride and Promotions

**Author's Note:**

> I just need Keith and Shiro loving and supporting each other. And a side of hurt Keith.

The day Keith is promoted is the happiest of Shiro’s life.

He’d known about it before the official announcement, of course. After Earth’s last stand, after their battle had been won.

Of all the people to visit Keith as he lay unconscious in the Garrison infirmary Iverson had been the last person Shiro had expected see enter the room.

Not that he hadn’t been surprised before. 

The Paladin’s had all visited, Keith was still asleep.  _ The last to wake. _ The doctors said he would be okay, but that his wounds had been the worst of the five. Lance and Pidge had been the first, bounding in with energy Shiro could only wish for. Then Hunk, moving a little slower with a thick bandage replacing his headband. He’d said he was fine, that he had wanted to be there for Keith, but Shiro had sent him back to bed eventually. Coran had popped his head in and out, separating his time between Allura and the rest of the Paladins. Allura was the last Paladin to visit, bringing Coran and Romelle with her.

Even James Griffin, Keith’s classmate from middle school, had turned up.

But it’s Iverson who surprises him the most. He’s stiff, standing in the doorway, awkward, as if he’s intruding on the home Shiro has made for Keith and himself in the hospital room. Shiro knows Iverson and Keith have never had the best relationship. He’d picked Keith up from countless detentions in Iverson’s office. He’d heard stories from the other paladins of Keith and Iverson after Kerberos. Of the arguments, of Keith’s insubordination. Of Keith lashing out, of his hurt. He’d forced Hunk to tell him eventually. Cornered him after Lance had asked Keith if he was going to punch his way out of everything. And Hunk had spilt everything. He’d told him how alone Keith had been, how he couldn’t handle the emotions, how he’d shook like a star about to die. How he’d punched Iverson in the face for blaming the disappearance of the Kerberos mission on pilot error.

Shiro nods to him, watching as he relaxes a little, crossing the threshold to sink into the seat next to Shiro’s.   


“Captain.” Iverson says.   


“Commander.” Shiro answers. He’s not sure if he outranks Iverson anymore. Iverson had sat below him in the Atlas, taking his orders. Now in meetings he looked to Shiro to speak first, arranged for Shiro to lead the official speeches.

Iverson takes Keith in, pale, cheeks gaunt, body unnaturally posed for sleep. Shiro knows for a fact that Keith sleeps on his stomach, like a disorganised starfish, limbs flying wherever possible. Seeing him like this, on the hospital bed, tubes hooked into his skin makes the hairs on his arms stand up.

“You always saw greatness in him.” Iverson finally says, drawing Shiro’s attention from Keith’s face, from the bandages and gauze covering the wound just above his right eye. He’d watched the nurse change it just an hour ago, pulling away the old bandage to reveal dark red stitches, a bruise the size of a fist. There were baby hairs beginning to grow back in where the doctors had shaved his hair away to reach the wound. His head hit the console on impact. They think.

“Uh, I guess I did.” He says slowly, carefully, dragging his thoughts out of the cockpit of the Black Lion. pulling them away from Keith, slumped over the console surrounded by blood.

Because Keith has always been controversial. His teachers hadn’t wanted Shiro to recruit him to the Garrison.

_ He has discipline issues. He wouldn’t be a good fit.  _ They’d said.

Then at the Garrison he’d fought at every turn, other cadets, officers, even Shiro.

And Shiro had bailed him out. Every single time, he’d fought for Keith. Because he hadn’t seen greatness in him. He’d seen a lonely kid, who needed guidance, someone to believe in him. Someone to show him how to become great.

“He was top of his class, even after the Kerberos mission was declared a loss.” Iverson continues. “No one has beaten his sim records, a few  more months and he would have graduated, top of the year.”

Shiro turns back to Keith’s face. His features are relaxed. He looks younger. Without the scar Shiro would be able to mistake him for a freshly graduated cadet.

“I know it doesn’t mean much now, but I was thinking that Kogane should graduate.” Iverson says. Shiro’s head snaps to face him so fast he’s sure he’ll have to get one of the doctors to assess him for whiplash.

“You’d make Keith an officer?” He asks slowly.

_ Officer. _ The rank he’d worn before being promoted for Kerberos. Keith would finally be able to put away the orange cadet uniform. He’d finally be able to wear the Garrison Greys.

“At first.” Iverson says, “I think we’d have enough to promote him to Captain before Voltron’s next launch.” He finishes.

And Shiro can’t help but be transported back, to a baby faced Keith sitting in front of Colonel Sanda’s office. He’s  in a Garrison uniform that’s slightly too big for him, the collar sticking up to his chin, the sleeves falling past his finger tips.

_ Why do you care? I’ll never graduate from here. _ He’d said when Shiro had pulled him out of the chair and back to his office. Bandaged up his hands, checked out his split lip.

Iverson is watching him. Waiting for a response. His eyes narrowing in on Shiro’s.

“I-We-Keith…” He stumbles out. “Keith would be so happy.” He says quietly.

Iverson nods. “He’s done Earth a great service.” He says as he stands, looking at Keith one last time.

“Get well soon Kogane. The coalition needs you.” He says to Keith, he turns to leave but not before giving Shiro’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Shirogane needs you too.” He says over his shoulder to Keith.

* * *

Keith’s promotion is a small affair. He’s still too weak for anything official. 

They have it in his hospital room. Keith sitting upright on his bed, back straighter than Shiro has ever seen him stand. The bandage has been removed, leaving stitches that are hard to see until they catch the light. His hair is growing back in, it’s almost unnoticeable. His legs stay under the covers, and Shiro knows one of them, his left leg, is covered in stiff cast. Letting the bone heal at its own pace.

The Paladins are in attendance, all but Hunk are back to their Cadet uniforms, back to their lives outside of the hospital. Hunk looks like he’s going to cry already.

The MFE Pilots are standing to the side, along with other Garrison higher ups, commander Holt, Iverson, Montgomery...

Krolia stands at Keith’s side. She hasn’t been able to take her eyes off him all morning and Shiro can see the pride in the way she smiles at him.

“For services to Earth, and to the Voltron Coalition.” Iverson says, standing next to Keith’s bed at attention.

“I promote you to Captain, Kogane.” He says, leaning forward and pinning the medel to Keith’s hospital gown.

It’s looks silly pinned to the gown. But Keith looks down at the medal with awe for a split second before his head shoots back up to Iverson.

“Thank you, Sir.” He says, hand coming up to a salute which Iverson returns.

Shiro doesn’t know who started the clapping, but he joins in almost instantly, slamming his hands together so hard they hurt. As if he can beat his pride into a sound to fill the room, to let Keith know. Because he wants to kiss him, to whisper _ well done. You’ve worked so hard. You deserve it.  _ into his hair.  

Keith looks around the room, taking in the smiling faces, the thumbs up Lance gives him, his mother, smiling down at him. And then his gaze reaches Shiro’s, and his face breaks into a smile.

And from that smile Shiro knows that it was all worth it. All the pain, and the losses. All the fighting had been worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> Come send me a prompt for this series on [my tumblr!](http://havanarr.tumblr.com/) (And if there's a scene you'd like to see feel free to prompt me!)


End file.
